‘Come..let’s fly from Kannur’: Kerala’s fourth international airport to open on Dec 9
Built at a cost of Rs 2,292 crore and spread over 2,300 acres, Kerala's Kannur airport is expected to benefit residents of the state working in Middle East, as many are from the Malabar region

Thousands queue up for a view of the Kannur International Airport. (Express photo by Ashique Rafique)

The Kannur airport is expected to serve more than one million passengers annually and authorities estimate the number will increase five-fold by 2025.

Built at a cost of Rs 2,292 crore and spread over 2,300 acres, the Kannur airport will become the fourth airfield in Kerala after Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode

The airport meets international standards and is set up in 2,300 acres of land in Mattanur. (Express photo by Ashique Rafique)

On September 20, Air India successfully landed its test flight at the airport. This landing was necessary for the aviation ministry to clear operation at the new airport.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted its clearance to Kannur airport on Friday.

The present runway of Kannur airport is 3050 meter long, which will be extended to 4000m.

The Kannur International Airport will be inaugurated on December 9th, 2018.

The integrated 95,000 sq m terminal building of Kannur airport will be the eighth largest in India.

The Kannur airport has received a LEED gold rating for energy and environment conservation and has a solar power system. While a 7-MW plant has been installed presently, the capacity will be increased to 10 MW in the coming years

The airport has all the facilities to land large aircraft like Boeing 777.